Ballroom EC2

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From the upper deck of our City AM limousine, we saw an impressive place we’d not previously noticed. Once a grand banking hall, it looked – with its fancy lighting, smartly-dressed tables and a menu outside – for all the world like the sort of place readers ought to know about.

So we hopped off, and returned to receive a warm welcome. Close up, though, we couldn’t help noticing a certain lack of customers. How come? The location is handy, the tables comfortably appointed, and the interior well enough spaced for most sorts of business discussions.

When we actually perused the menu, however, we began to understand the thin house. Its style (we subsequently learnt) is “Modern European comfort food”, which seems to mean that it was designed by a committee with at least one oriental member. So it seemed rude not to try out the sushi and sashimi starter. This foray into multi-culturalism was not a success, however as the tempura salmon nori roll – if thankfully only part of the dish – was every bit as horrid as it sounded.

The most striking thing about the meal was a burger. Not just any old burger you understand, but a burger with no fewer than five enormous onion rings piled on top of it, four and a half of which return to the kitchen uneaten. The chips weren’t much cop either. The burger itself, however, was flavoursome and accurately cooked. Puddings are quite decent too, and coffee, for once, was thoughtfully served with hot milk. It’s not as if there’s no hope, here.

On leaving, we caught sight of the DJ’s decks, which suggest that – by night – this place lives up to its name. With a few tweaks, though, it could be useful by day too.